Anyone with coloured hair can tell you it takes a fair bit of effort to maintain, and when it’s a fun colour it’s even more difficult to keep it from looking faded. The upside of that is that most colours look pretty cool as they fade, but I still like to keep it looking bright for as long as possible, so I have a few tips!
Don’t wash your hair…
Every day. We always hear about how it’s not healthy for your hair anyway, but it’s just gonna wash all your colour out faster than necessary too. I wash my hair every week or two depending on how it looks and feels, and if I have an event to go to. Switching up how you style your hair or the products you use can help extend how long you can go without washing, and dry shampoo can be a good friend to have too.
Choose Products Wisely
Some shampoos, conditioners and other hair products can really fade your hair quickly, so shop around for either gentle, natural products or products specifically designed to prolong hair colour. I use various different shampoo and conditioner bars from Lush, usually the New shampoo bar and Black Hole Sun (yes I do only use it because of the name) conditioner bar. I also use a cheap leave in frizz conditioner thing with added ‘colour protect’ from Poundland and it’s honestly helped my hair look nice more than anything else ever has.
Keep it Up!
If you use temporary dye like I do (let me know where I can get a bright blue, vegan permanent dye though!) you’ll probably notice that if you wear white tops with your hair down the colour sort of rubs off onto it. I didn’t think it was much of a problem, but since I’ve started having my hair up more to keep it out of the way at work I’ve definitely noticed it takes longer to fade.
Use a Good Dye
If your hair fades especially fast, try using a different brand. Everyone’s hair is different so even though a brand may have great reviews, it may not work well for you. I had a lot of people tell me the live XXL dyes last a long time but for me they’d start fading dramatically from the first wash onwards as well as being patchy. I switched to manic panic and it’s over two months now I think!
Hide your Hair for Bed
I plait it, you could put it in a bun or a hat or tie it up, I just assume this must help since it means your hair isn’t rubbing so much against your pillows, sheets, back sweat and all that. Plus it means you’re less likely to get funky coloured patches all over your pillow cases which is one of my number one pet peeves.
If you could dye your hair any colour, what colour and why? I keep aiming for a really bright teal but I haven’t quite gotten there yet!
-Dana
Carry on Beautiful! 